Heating Oil Customers Warned to be Careful due to Rise in Online Scams

A recent article in the BBC has warned heating oil customers to be careful
when ordering fuel online due to the rise of scam Web sites.

Customers are required to pay for the fuel upfront, usually by
bank transfer, but then the fuel is not delivered.

Police are investigating at least 50 different cases from across
the country.

Industry insiders believe the true scale of the problem could be
much greater.

Prices in the South West in February averaged 61 pence per litre
of oil, and customers order somewhere between 500 and 1,000 litres
a time.

Simon Lockwood, from Gamston in Nottinghamshire, decided to shop
around on the internet when his supply became low last month.

He says: "We went online and checked prices, and found what we
thought was a reasonable deal saving us a few pounds."

"Initially the website seemed OK, it seemed all above board.

"The one strange thing was you couldn't pay by debit card," he
explains.

In the end though, he used a bank transfer to pay £305 to
a company called Wholesale Prices Heating Oil. The oil never
arrived.

Simon tried to call the company, before realising its website
did not have a phone number.

I find it the lowest of the low”

So he sent several emails, but still did not hear anything
back.

"I was annoyed when I realised that no oil was coming and no
refund was coming," Simon says.

"I've got to go out and earn another £300 just to plug
that gap, which is difficult when you're in construction because
there's not a massive amount of work out there."

"I'm absolutely disgusted. Heating oil is a necessity not a
luxury. I find it the lowest of the low," Simon adds.

Several other people have been in touch with the BBC, telling
very similar stories.

Pensioner Linda Aspland became suspicious when the oil she had
paid for did not turn up.

She had ordered 1000 litres for £551.23.

John Taylor, Jo Symes and Mike Page have all emailed us saying
they were conned out of the same amount.

Liam Holley had asked for extra oil, and it cost him
£1058.03.

They were all asked to pay in advance, either by bank transfer,
or by going into a bank branch and paying over the counter.

In security terms, that gives you about as much protection as
giving someone a bag of cash.

The Federation of Petroleum Suppliers is a trade body that
represents about 80% of oil distribution companies in the UK and
the Republic of Ireland.

Mark Askew is the chief executive, and says he is very worried
by stories like these.

"The evidence we're getting anecdotally indicates to us it's a
growing problem, but it's impossible to actually get a handle on
how big it is, because there doesn't seem to be a central body
pulling the numbers together," Mr Askew says.

Simon Lockwood agrees with that and points out that it is not
obvious who to complain to.

"We contacted the police, who seemed to want to pass it on,
rather than to deal with it," he says.

"Then they passed us on to Trading Standards. They took the
details, and they gave me the contact details for another
department called Action Fraud.

"To be honest, I've not rung them. We've been scammed and nobody
seems to be doing anything about it," Simon adds.

Authorities say when something like this happens, it is
important to speak to the right people.

Google them, see if there any complaints about them”

Stephen Harrison is chief executive of the National Fraud
Authority, which includes Action Fraud.

He says it should be the first call when people think they have
been scammed.

"If you report to a local police force, with the best will in
the world they won't know what's going on across the rest of the
country," Mr Harrison says.

"If you come to Action Fraud, it becomes part of a bigger
picture, we can therefore help the police take more effective
action.

"We can see the pattern of offending across the whole of the
country," he adds.

Mr Harrison says the same rules apply as with any online
shopping.

"Be careful if you're dealing with a company that isn't a
reputable company," he says.

"Try and do a little bit of background checking. Google them,
see if there any complaints about them."

West Yorkshire Police are working on the complaints, and say
they are investigating about 50 cases.

But a spokesman says the investigations are at an early stage,
and no-one has been arrested yet.

About Moorland Fuels

Moorland Fuels was formed more than 15 years ago. The company
started by supplying lubricants throughout the South West.
Moorland Fuels is still a family-run business. Our reputation
has been built by our team of dedicated drivers and staff. We all
believe in what we do, and this can be seen in our commitment to
excellent service, which gives us the edge over our
competitors.

We are a fully independent fuel distributor
sourcing quality products at the most competitive price to
industry, farming and the home. We run all our own vehicles,
both for fuels and lubricants, from our depot in Okehampton and
keep an extensive stock to meet all our customers’ demands.
This gives us the flexibility to provide a fast, efficient and
professional service to our customers. If you need heating
oil in Devon give us a call.